Forsentian Military
The empire's military is what one might call 'scattershot' to say the least. Ostensibly, each of the noble houses maintains a private military for defense of their lands as a defense force, but the best of each nation's personal armies must be sent to join the Imperial Guard. As each nation has wildly varying ideas on how best to gird their national loins for battle, this has created a very odd-looking- but still professional- military force. Griffon riders and cavaliers mounted on various animals from horses to dinosaurs to mystical beasts run and fly alongside magical zepplins, modern aircraft, mechs of common and outlandish designs, microtanks, golems, and all kinds of wildly different infantry from every kind of spellcaster known to lightly armored raiders to fancily dressed duelists to heavily armored knights to savage grenadiers in armor made from bones and hides. Many nations make use of last-minute conscriptions to bolster their armies right before it comes time to add to the Imperial Guard, which degrades the overall quality of the troops but adds considerably to their numbers. It's a hodge-podge force, but their weaknesses are also their strengths- the Imperial Guard's wide range of diversity allows them to be prepared for virtually any combat scenario or battlefield eventuality. To join the Imperial Guard is both an honor and a curse. It is an honor because it means contributing to the defense of the whole of the Empire, but also a curse because the needs of the Guard outweigh the prejudices of individual states. Every soldier who joins the Guard must be retrained to be part of a single army, they must learn to work together and forget or ignore the hatreds they have been taught to have of people from other nations lest those hatreds weaken the Guard and put the Empire's ability to wage war for protection or expansion at risk. This retraining is not always successful, and it's not uncommon for particularly stubborn individuals to try and sabotage relations between disparate groups for their own amusement or on secret orders from their previous superiors. At the worst times there is even the threat of outright mutiny, which can force the Guard to turn on itself to purge those rebellious elements, which can be a difficult process depending on who all is revolting- a handful of common soldiers isn't a major issue, but high ranking officers or NCOs taking whole battalions or companies with them to wreak havoc can be time consuming and costly to put down. Retiring from the Guard isn't much easier- sure, one might have a pretty generous pension to live off of, but in a number of states successful retirement will translate into distrust and hate for someone who served in such a vastly integrated force, working alongside hated enemies and rivals. The exception to this is the Empress's private army, the 309th Regiment. Only the very best are allowed to join, only the most fanatically loyal and devoted to Her Imperial Majesty have any chance to become part of this illustrious unit. They would follow their lady to the very gates of the Hells without batting an eye, not one man or woman in the Regiment would fail to give their life at the drop of a hat for their lady's safety and prosperity. It was this devoted- and highly trained- force that allowed Raina to take the reins of rulership from her father and purge her family of its most destructive and insane elements, it was the 309th who carried out- and still carry out- the Empress's directives of cleansing infestations of the most unholy sorts. They are the most successful example of integration, coming from all vassal-states and all career paths; united in their love for the Empress, in their faith that she will make the Forsentine Empire stronger, and that she will be wise and keep it safe. In their beliefs it falls to them to ensure that she does not fail, and they are as zealous in their pursuit of that goal as any social or religious extremist. The 309th is the only arm of the Imperial Guard which does not fly a flag from their home nation- they don't have one. They fly the Imperial flag itself- solid, dark green background with a fancifully drawn rose as the central emblem. And Gods help anyone who desecrates that flag where they can see it. The Forsentine Empire Back to Main Page